As I was sitting in the class, something he said really recenated with me. He talked about how we back off from things we don’t like or can’t do. It is such an obvious statement that often gets forgotten when on your on or off the mat.

And it is that statement that seems to be one of the threads that is conitinuosly stitched in the patchwork of my life.

On the mat, I have a fairly solid practice. Some days are more tiring than others but when my feet touch the mat I am present–except when it comes to headstand (shirshasana).

I don’t like trying headstand in the middle of the room (I like it against the security of the wall) because a kind of unknowingness creeps up. The big question: what if I fall?

But, it’s ok to fall. I know how to roll out of a headstand if need be. That doesn’t matter though. I back away and don’t try.

Off the mat, any type of difficulty I face makes me yield and turn away from it. Growing up, things generally came easy to me and if they didn’t, I wouldn’t do it and I would simply convince myself I wasn’t good at it. Maybe though, if I put in some effort I would have been good at it. I’ll never know. What I do know, however, is that I’m not going to turn away from difficulty anymore.

If I have trouble with something then I will trudge through it regardless of how long it takes me. If I fail I’ll try again. Failure won’t be something to be afraid of it will be something to be embraced and tackled.

The goals I set will be accomplished. The challenges I have will be mere speed bumps and I will do shirshasana without needing the wall.

I will.

Now, scones can sometimes be difficult. They can turn out hard and dry but this recipe is a great one if you’re tentative to try making them.

America’s Test Kitchen is great for beginner bakers because, although time consuming, it usually yields scrumptious food

Method:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Score and remove half of wrapper from each stick of frozen butter. Grate unwrapped ends on large holes of box grater (you should grate total of 8 tablespoons). Place grated butter in freezer until needed. Melt 2 tablespoons of remaining ungrated butter and set aside. Save remaining 6 tablespoons butter for another
use. Place blueberries in freezer until needed.

Add milk mixture to flour mixture; fold with spatula until just combined. With rubber spatula, transfer dough to liberally floured work surface. Dust surface of dough with flour; with floured hands, knead dough 6 to 8 times, until it just holds together in ragged ball, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking.

Roll dough into approximate 12-inch square. Fold dough into thirds like a business letter, using
bench scraper or metal spatula to release dough if it sticks to countertop. Lift short ends of dough and fold into thirds again to form approximate 4-inch square. Transfer dough to plate lightly dusted
with flour and chill in freezer 5 minutes.
Transfer dough to floured work surface and roll into approximate 12-inch square again. Sprinkle blueberries evenly over surface of dough, then press down so they are slightly embedded in dough.

Using a bench scraper or thin metal spatula, loosen dough from work surface. Roll dough, pressing to form tight log. Lay seam-side down and press log into 12 by 4-inch rectangle. Using sharp, floured knife, cut rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet.